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Sony Picks Up Literary Adventure 'Royal Honour Society' (Exclusive)

Joe Roth is attached to produce the project, which bring together England's great writers in an action-adventure.

In a pre-emptive move, Sony has picked up The Royal Honour Society, a literary-themed action-adventure pitch from Ernest Lupinacci. Joe Roth and Palak Patel are attached to produce.

Details are vague, but it's described as the iconic stories of some of England's greatest writers from the late 19th century -- among them H.G. Wells (The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man), Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth), Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) -- together in an action-adventure tale.

Think of it as a reverse League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the Alan Moore-written comic book series later turned into a 2003 Fox movie that featured the famous creations of many late-19th century authors. ­

The pitch hit town Thursday and was off the table by the end of the day.

Sony already has several Roth-produced projects in development. One of the most active is Neverland, the Peter Pan re-imagining that has Gavin O'Connor attached to direct and Channing Tatum attached to play a role.

Lupinacci, repped by CAA and Del Shaw, is a newcomer to the screenwriting trade but not to Hollywood. He was behind the website Musunahi.com (aka Museum of Supernatural History), which DreamWorks and producers Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are developing into a movie.